Tom Brady

Mitchell Trubisky

"We all knew": Devin McCourty speaks, but the mysterious Patriots benching of Malcolm Butler goes on

What is it with the New England Patriots? Why must there always be an unsolved mystery after they appear in a Super Bowl? (Well, any time, really, but especially after a Super Bowl.) A year ago, everyone was wondering who had stolen Tom Bradys jersey from the locker room. This year, the explanation for the vanishing of Malcolm Butler remains unknown and, if Bill Belichick has his way, perhaps unknowable.

The cornerback, whose interception delivered victory in Super Bowl XLIX, was MIA on the field on Feb. 4, benched for all but a special teams play despite being in on 97.8 percent of the Patriots regular-season snaps. It made no sense, particularly given how the Philadelphia Eagles marched up and down the field, scoring almost at will. At the time, unnamed sources speculated to NFL reporters that Butler was being disciplined for his behavior during Super Bowl week, but Devin McCourty, one of the first New England players to speak about the matter, said that wasnt the case